Category: Railroad Stories

A Good Night’s Sleep – Follow-Up

March 15, 2020 Jim Pearson No Comments All things Trains and Photography, Railroad Stories

  A week ago (preceding page), I stumbled portraying the closeness of the Milwaukee Road to the Northern Pacific Railway trackage.  The two pictures here are the same location as last week’s Northern Pacific eastbound North Coast Limited, just nosing under the bridge.  In both pictures above, the Milwaukee freights are westbound.  The tunnel where #22 is exiting is about two car lengths behind the four diesels.  If you were to Google-Earth this location you would see the valley is quite constricted here.   The river is flowing away from the photographer.

The four diesels are crossing the Yakima River, but will only remain on that side for about a mile. The Milwaukee line continues up the Yakima River Valley, ducks into a short tunnel, follows the shoreline of Lake Keechelus, enters two snow sheds before the 11,789-foot Snoqualmie Pass tunnel.  Both railroads enjoy relatively level travel up the valley, the Milwaukee all the way to the long tunnel. Northern Pacific trackage climbs a 2.2 percent grade from just behind the cameraman for about six miles to their Stampede Pass Tunnel.

The NP and Milwaukee do chase each other at various locations in the states of Washington and Montana.   They are within sight of each other from the scene in these pictures, Lake Easton to Ellensburg, most of 40 miles.   In western Montana for many miles along the Clarks Fork River they are much like double-track in some places, and zip in and out-of-sight for about a hundred miles.  They share sides of the Yellowstone River in eastern Montana for about 85 miles.

Picture credits:  diesels on bridge by Robert W. Johnston;    #22 at tunnel by Dale Sanders

A Good Night’s Sleep…

March 15, 2020 Jim Pearson No Comments Railroad Stories

  Pride of the Northern Pacific Railway, the eastbound vista-domed North Coast Limited, Train # 26 is drifting down the Yakima River Valley near Easton, Washington.  This 1962 shot was taken from an open vestibule by the late great photographer Jim Fredrickson.  The nose of the leading unit is under the Milwaukee’s line crossing to the other side of the river.  In less than a mile it will bridge back to this side of the river.

The NCL left Seattle at 2:45 PM and has tunneled under Stampede Pass and descended into the scenic valley.  It will follow the river for over a hundred miles, and will slip into Chicago Union Station the second afternoon out.  

So, if this is the center-piece of the NP’s passenger fleet, why didn’t they paint the third car..?  That car is a Slumbercoach, sort of a mini-Pullman, but not a Pullman requiring first-class ticket. Rather, the budget-minded sleeper was available for a reasonable price to coach-class passengers.  Imagine 24 single and 8 double rooms, with sinks and toilets in each room, all put into less than 850 square feet of railcar.  Accommodations were tight, but you had your privacy, a bed, your own bathroom for a decent price.  Justine and I travelled to Butte in 1969 on a house search utilizing the NCL and a double Slumbercoach.  Very adequate.

The stainless-steel Budd-built cars were left unpainted so they would stand out prominently. Sort of a “look what we have – that you don’t,” to the other railroads.  Slumbercoach space was sold-out more often than not.  Amtrak?? Take note.

Railroad Stories for September 2018

September 22, 2018 Jim Pearson No Comments Gary O. Ostlund, Railroad Stories

Yes, that’s the bell, mounted behind the cow-catcher, or more officially, the Pilot.   Whether the bell rotates with an independent clanger, or mounted rigid and mechanical, is unanswered.  Perhaps a New York Central aficionado will set the record straight.

There is a very good reason why the bell would be placed somewhere other than on top of the boiler, typical on most steam locomotives.   Clearances were tight on the NYC and most others in the east.   Early railroad infrastructure was built to a smaller standard, and as trains got longer and heavier the motive power and rolling stock grew in size.  Lineside obstructions could be moved, but tunnels were unforgiving.

If we could see the of the top of the boiler, you would notice that smoke stack, whistle and other apparatus is also very low profile.  Clearance issues is the reason dome cars were virtually nonexistent in the northeast.   Double stack container trains were also late in coming to the east coast railroads for the same reason.

The loco above is one of New York Central’s finest, a Niagara 4-8-4 #6011 built by American Locomotive Company.   Those smoke-lifting wings gave them a sleek appearance.

Credits: photo by Ed Nowak – NYC,  as seen in Classic Trains magazine, Summer 2013

Submitted by Gary O. Ostlund

 

Railroad Stories – Gary O. Ostlund

August 26, 2018 Jim Pearson No Comments News, NRHS News, Railroad Stories

Credits:  Photo by the Bremen Inquirer as seen in Classic Trains Winter 2010, story line in part from Kalmbach’s “Working on the Railroad,” 2011.

Working on the railroad has always been dangerous work. In years past few conventional insurance underwriters would consider policies for railroaders. Whether switchmen in the yards dodging rolling equipment, or brakemen jumping from boxcar to boxcar tying down hand brakes, many a railroader never came home at the end of the day, leaving a trail of mourning widows.

A sobering example of the dangers of railroading is this B&O SD40 with a cabful of lumber.  On June 15, 1979, at Bremen, Ind., a load of lumber on a westbound train shifted and slid into the cab of No. 7598, running backward as the trailing unit on an eastbound.  A brakeman riding the diesel’s cab sustained minor injuries — and no doubt paid special attention the next time he passed another train.

Many safety improvements have occurred over the years, with the invention the Westinghouse air brake and the Janney coupler being prime examples.   In the years before and since the accident above, lumber transport by rail too has changed.  In the very  early days boxcars were used for transport of lumber products, a manual and cumbersome process.  Today the modern center-beam cars have replaced open flat cars for lumber and other shipments such as dry-wall and plywood.

Submitted by Gary O. Ostlund.